Silverstone MotoGP: Bridgestone Report

Yamaha Factory Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo put in a masterful display at Silverstone to win the British Grand Prix for his third consecutive MotoGP victory.

In almost a carbon-copy of the last race at Catalunya, Lorenzo came on strong in the second half of the race to pass Repsol Honda’s Casey Stoner for the lead with nine laps remaining.

Stoner held on for second place ahead of teammate Dani Pedrosa, while pole-sitter Alvaro Bautista claimed his best ever MotoGP finish with fourth place. Best of the CRT riders at Silverstone was Power Electronics Aspar rider Aleix Espargaro who emerged the victor in a race-long duel with teammate Randy de Puniet to finish in eleventh place.

Dark clouds threatened to spoil the race with rain as riders lined up on the grid, though the race was run under dry conditions with track temperatures reaching a maximum of 28°C towards the end of the session as the sun began to shine.

The possibility of rain at the start of the race saw all but one rider select the softer rear slick while front tire choice was evenly split between the softer and harder slick options, with some riders preferring the extra braking stability of the harder front over the better warm-up performance of the softer option.

Three wins in a row for Jorge Lorenzo sees him lead Casey Stoner by 25 points in the championship classification, while Dani Pedrosa’s podium at Silverstone consolidates third position overall and he sits 14 points behind Stoner.

Hiroshi Yamada (Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Department) says: “What a fantastic race we had today! There were so many great battles throughout the field and the pace at the start of the race was very fast, so I think the better warm-up performance offered by the new front slicks allowed riders to push from the first lap. Jorge’s was once again very impressive on the Yamaha today but most of all I was amazed by Cal’s great performance to finish sixth despite starting last and being injured.

“The weather was still unsettled today which made tire choice difficult for the riders, but Silverstone’s susceptibility to poor weather was the reason we revised the rear slick compounds for this race and I think this development, along with the full availability of the new front slick tire helped riders cope with the conditions we had this weekend.”

Shinji Aoki (Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tire Development Department) says: “Thankfully the morning warm-up session today wasn’t affected by rain which allowed teams to evaluate different slick tyre options for the race. Spots of rain started to fall just as riders went on to the grid and for this reason all but one rider selected the softer rear slick in case conditions worsened.

“Front tire choice was more varied with just over half the riders on the harder front and with Jorge and Casey enjoying a good fight though they selected different compound front slicks. I am pleased that both of the new specification front slicks we brought to Silverstone worked well over a race distance.”

Jorge Lorenzo (Yamaha Factory Racing – Race Winner) says: “I was a bit worried at the start of the race as I was in sixth position and the leaders were fast, but I waited for my moment and as the race went on the guys at the front started to slow down. I caught up to them and then Casey and I had a wonderful fight and fortunately for us I had a pace advantage. We have had a perfect season until now so I have to thank Yamaha for all their good work.”